A NASA-funded study by the National Academy of Sciences
lays out the economic consequences of severe space weather.

– August 2013 – Keep an eye on the Sun
While you enjoy your summer in the northern hemisphere, remember to enjoy your growing sovereignty. Stay excited and stay alert to what the sun is doing. The solar maximum is not over yet.

One online source has Edward Snowden speaking about a solar flare killshot. “The massive electromagnetic pulse from the solar flares, or ‘the killshot,’ will shutter most of the world’s electrical systems,” said Snowden.Read more by Oliver Wilis in the Internet Chronicle.

Whether or not author Oliver Wilis actually received information from Snowden, it is a timely reminder to remain aware of the sun’s ability to adversely impact terrestrial events very quickly.

Here are three stories from NASA:– Solar Cycle Update: Twin Peaks?
“Pesnell notes a similarity between Solar Cycle 24, underway now, and Solar Cycle 14, which had a double-peak during the first decade of the 20th century. If the two cycles are in fact twins, ‘it would mean one peak in late 2013 and another in 2015.’ No one knows for sure what the sun will do next. It seems likely, though, that the end of 2013 could be a lot livelier than the beginning.”Read more

– The UN Braces for Stormy Space Weather
“‘Space weather is a significant natural hazard that requires global preparedness,’ says Prof. Hans Haubold of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs. ‘This new agenda item links space science and space technology for the benefit of all humankind.’Read more

– Severe Space Weather–Social and Economic Impacts
“Did you know a solar flare can make your toilet stop working? That’s the surprising conclusion of a NASA-funded study by the National Academy of Sciences entitled Severe Space Weather Events—Understanding Societal and Economic Impacts. In the 132-page report, experts detailed what might happen to our modern, high-tech society in the event of a ‘super solar flare’ followed by an extreme geomagnetic storm. They found that almost nothing is immune from space weather—not even the water in your bathroom.Read more

– “The Wipe-Out Effects of An EMP”
“When it comes to protecting the US national grid from being wiped out by an EMP event, ‘Washington is dysfunctional.’

“Those are the words of Ambassador Henry Cooper, former head of the US underground nuclear test program, speaking at a panel discussion on July 29 about the EMP threat to the US electrical grid.
As the panel saw it, the US is totally ill-prepared for such an event, whether it comes from an X-class flare from the sun, or a high-altitude nuclear weapon launched by some enemy of the United States,” by Michael Knight, Editor, Family Survival News – Future Times and Trends. (Reprinted with permission).Read more

– Ramtha on the consequences of sun-storms on the electrical grid “There are applications that are focused on solar activity that will let you know what comes off the sun and approximately how large it is. If you had this little alert system you would know what part of the Earth will be affected, what the northern lights will look like and where they will shine next, and you should be doing that.
Why is that really important? You don’t want to be in an airplane, you don’t want to be in the city, and you don’t want to be lost in your automobile unprepared. Those are minor disturbances: airplanes going down, ships’ engines stopping, computers going down, satellites falling. That is minor. But it will affect your world and the choices you make since you are unaware of your environment.
There is good reason why governments are removing budgets from infrastructure repair and grid repair and letting satellites go into the ocean, because it is a wasted effort. But it looks like a political game.”